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State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) honored the life of McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Keltner, who was a resident of the 26th District, on the Senate Floor Wednesday. A moment of silence followed his remarks and coincided with the funeral procession.

Sen. McConchie’s remarks are transcribed below:

I want to take a moment to remember and honor the life of Deputy Jacob Keltner of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, who was a resident of my district.

Deputy Keltner was shot and killed last week as he and other members of the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a warrant to a man who was staying at a hotel in Rockford.

We are all familiar with the tragic events that unfolded that day, and the pain it has caused not only his loved ones but his entire community.

Following in his father’s footsteps, I’m told that Deputy Keltner always wanted to be a police officer from a young age. He started in a civilian position with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department and soon joined the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department, where he served with dignity for the past 13 years.

According to his wife, Becki, he loved everything about his job and looked forward to going to work every day. In a letter she wrote following his death, she called him a “true patriot who wanted to protect the people of his country.” I couldn’t agree more, he was a true patriot indeed.

He was also a loving husband, a son, a brother, and a father to two young children.

Today, may we join his family and friends in mourning his loss and may we always remember Deputy Keltner for his courageous service. And as his wife, Becki, encouraged us in her letter, let us not remember him as a statistic, but rather, let’s remember him as a great man who sacrificed his life to protect others.